Across the Street
by Rei Haruno -Sakura no Imooto
Summary: I woke up to a weird 'thing' in my flat, and no one guessed it was the start of a very strange encounter- or lifetime, if I could say. This is a story about me and another unlucky person who were trapped in a curse- a curse of eternal cycles- that we were bound to break. Or so we thought.
1. The Stranger

Hi! Welcome to Across the Street, yet another horror story from me. (I haven't done another good one in months.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this miniseries. This is about an abandoned house across the street which was accidentally trespassed by one of the neighbours named Arthur Kirkland. His misfortune will start as he chose to make a certain odd cat go home- or what he thought was the real start of it.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia or any character that has copyright. All I own are the plot and the dialogues. Some references are used, but they are not any stories published in .

**Warnings**: I will keep this one Rated T so maybe just strong language.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

**Summary**: I woke up to a weird 'thing' in my flat, and no one guessed it was the start of a very strange encounter- or lifetime, if I could say. This is a story about me and another unlucky person who were trapped in a curse- a curse of eternal cycles- that we were bound to break. Or so we thought.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

It was supposed to be a normal day for me. A very normal day this dull winter break. I would normally wake up like never refreshed and just continue to making breakfast for Camelot and myself. I would take him out for a walk, and run into people from all walks of life. I would go to the grocer to get some goods, burn food, buy more goods, and burn some more food. And then the day would end with me gaining nothing, really.

But today was different. Something very strange was in front of me- as I went to see Camelot and wake him up if ever. It looked like a big fur ball to me, and a big bed for Camelot. I found my cat lying on a big soft-looking fur ball that magically entered my flat. I kept doors and windows locked at night. I don't have any cat doors for Camelot so it couldn't have gone through there either. And the funny thing was Camelot didn't seem to mind its presence. Is it some sort of stuffed animal?

I walked towards the corner and crouched to touch my cat's head. Camelot rose and looked at me with his expressionless eyes- soon getting up to stretch. I then took a hold of the fur ball and lifted it up with two hands- only to see that it has a long tail, flabby body, four limbs and a face. It also had a certain fur pattern that puts a pair of glasses on its face. Apparently, it was a cat: a very furry and fat cat that was as soft as pillow, yet as heavy as a big block of rock.

"Hello there." I spoke to it to wake it up. Its eyes opened and started to panic, making ugly meowing sounds as it struggled. I then put it down, "There, there, I won't hurt you." I turned to my cat before picking him up while he was washing his face, "Isn't it early to take home a mate, Camelot? It's not yet mating season. And a tabby cat at that. Have some kind of preference, Camelot; she's like twice your size. What are you, a spider? Show me the extra four legs then!"

Somehow, I felt eyes were fixed on me as I decided to tickle Camelot and give him some belly scratch. I gazed down to where the other cat was, and I found it staring back at me as if getting real jealous. I then stopped and looked at Camelot for a while before putting him down to pick the other cat. But then, Camelot ran off to his milk dish at the kitchen- the strange cat chasing him.

Walking closely to follow them, I strayed to get a spare dish for the visitor and the milk Camelot was waiting. I filled the two dishes and laid them next to the cats. Camelot started drinking his milk, but the strange cat went to drink on my cat's dish. Of course, Camelot would scratch his face in response. Instead of retaliating more, the strange cat just whimpered a meow and sat as if waiting for Camelot.

That already picked my curiosity so I went near and picked the heavy cat up again. It started to panic but soon calmed down as I petted its head. Carrying it like a baby in one arm, I inspected its furry body and found out that it's a male, too, and it had a worn-out cat collar. I tried to rub off the grime that hardened on its plate... saying the that cat was called Hero.

"Okay, Hero. Why are you here?" I held him again with two hands and raised him to stare at its funny-looking face. However, it just slumped and enjoyed hanging from my hold. I then made him rest against my shoulder, and I walked to get to the nearest window. From there, I saw the abandoned house across the street. Its cat door seemed to be moved from inside, but the hinges got stuck because of rust. I then looked back at the furry back.

"Alright, I have to take you home now, Hero."

**...**

**Across the Street**

**Rei Haruno- Sakura no Imooto**

**Part 1: The Stranger**

**...**

The house was abandoned longer than my residency in that flat across the street. The residential area was too wide so houses were scattered; unlike the position of this flat and that old house. The house was thrice the size of the almost empty flat house, and it seemed to belong to a rich family. However, it aged well- perhaps leaving this cat alone inside.

I was standing outside the old house, both Camelot and Hero in my arms. We decided to go and take Hero back inside- but the fact that it was abandoned made me reconsider. But then again, I couldn't afford to have a cat that eats thrice than Camelot does, neither shoo the cat away since Camelot seemed to have taken a liking of Hero's company.

Just when I was about to head back, I heard a shrill squeak from somewhere inside the house. Camelot's ears folded, and Hero's face grew tensed. I stared at the door for quite a while before deciding to go and see what was making the sound. It was so loud that it was impossible for it to be my imagination. Plus, the cats reacted to it.

I brought the cats down, noticing that Camelot was stepping back unlike Hero which was just standing there. I walked to the gates in attempt to open it. However, rust had eaten the latch and made it impossible to move anymore. Looking around first, I just went with my instincts to climb the gates to get inside. As I reached the top, I saw Camelot walk closer and looked up at me. He then ran to a certain direction to be chased by Hero. He might be looking for another way to get inside- and so I decided to continue climbing down.

I fixed my clothing and straightened the tie that I was wearing. Dusting my vest free from the moss and dirt that collected on the gates, I walked towards the door and tried knocking. The doorbell didn't seem operational after all. I started calling out, "Hello? Hello!?" I knew it was abandoned, but the squeaking didn't seem to be done by something else other than a person.

Soon, I heard scratching from afar. I stepped back and tried to find another way inside the house. I walked through the dried garden, stepping on the rotten leaves and making them smell more than my nose could take. Arriving at the garden at the backyard, I saw Camelot and Hero already sat before the backdoor. My cat earned some discoloration on its fur, perhaps dirt from wherever they got through. But Hero was considerably clean- perhaps from a mishap.

I would snap a photo of them if I have my phone with me to be honest. Camelot was trying to clean himself, and Hero was licking some dirt off his fur as well. Hero seemed to be very affectionate towards Camelot; I wonder what my cat did to him.

"Camelot! Hero!" I then decided to call them, and then Camelot walked to me. I tried rubbing his fur, but the sticky dirt wouldn't rub off. I then looked at Hero which had his ears folded. Dropping the idea, I walked to the backdoor and tried to pry it open. Soon, the door budged, and we were able to get in.

"Excuse me! Pardon my intrusion, but I just wanted to give the cat back-"

Strong wind pulsed through the doorway, making me fall down to the ground. I guess Camelot and Hero flew off as well. That kind of wind shouldn't come out of a house, and its non-stagnant smell told me it wasn't kept inside the house for long. I sat up at the doorway and looked around. Seeing Camelot unconscious at the ground made me run to him, and hearing Hero's cry as he got stuck in the twiggy bushes made me pick him up from there. The two cats were wounded from the gust, and I had no other choice but to run towards the vet which was a mile away.

I would love to explore more since I felt that the house felt emptier now. What was that wind anyway?

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

"You don't have to worry, Camelot will be fine." Dr. Hedervary smiled at me as she caressed the head of my sleeping cat. She said he'll be fine, just knocked unconscious- no trauma, concussions or anything. However, I had to keep a bandage on Hero's left foreleg because of a long cut made by the twigs. Even though he was hurt, the strange cat still looked as energetic as it was- though he never moved away from Camelot's side.

"Anyway, I didn't know you owned this cat, Arthur. I thought he was a stray." She then caressed the big cat's head, Hero purring happily at her touch. I then hummed as I began scratching under his neck, "Ah, no. I just found him inside my flat. Seems like Camelot brought him home. Have you seen Hero before?"

"Hero? His name is Hero?" She laughed a bit but then got sad soon enough, "He's been walking around like a stray for five days. I did give him food back then, and it seemed that he did ask for food from other houses, too. Did something happen to his master? Or did he get lost? There was no missing cat that fits his description either. But it's good that he found a new master-"

"Please, no. I can barely keep up with Hero's appetite. He eat like three cats, and he sheds more fur than I could handle." I sighed and heard her chuckle. I then looked out the clinic to see passing cars and people, "I really hope Hero could go back to his master. They must be so worried about him being lost and all."

"I'll check up on more missing animal posters that I can find. I'm pretty sure they would put some posters to find him. He seemed to be a cat that was so loved."

That concluded my talk with the attending vet, and I had to walk another mile to bring Camelot and Hero home. I had my cat in my arms while Hero was walking next to me. The sky seemed to grow darker than usual, but the clouds didn't look like it will rain soon.

I stopped walking at the bridge connecting the residential district to the commercial one, only to look up at the clouds above. Hero could have stopped walking as well since he began pulling at the edge of my trousers. I then smiled as him as we continued walking- only to hear loud rustling behind us. I flung my head to the bushes behind me, Hero pulling me stronger. I then continued walking, swearing that something was lurking behind us. I just couldn't tell what it was.

Getting back to my flat, I laid Camelot down his bed to rest. Hero then balled up next to him and tried to watch over the unconscious cat. I left Hero with a petting before heading to the lounge to watch anything in my telly. The sofa had only been the most comfortable, but today, I couldn't find the right place to sit. Like there was something that made me very irritable. Soon, I just gave up on watching the telly and resorted to walking towards the kitchen. I picked up some bowls and goods that I bought yesterday to make cookies today. I knew I was just going to burn them again, but it's better than doing nothing.

Evening came, and I found myself slumped on the dining table, sleeping after some shots I couldn't even managed. I always resort to sleeping when drinking with just myself- no matter the time of the day. I just burned another day without gaining anything- if not having a second cat even though my stock says three more cats. I stretched and straightened, going to check up on Camelot and Hero.

I peeked through the door to avoid waking them up if ever; however, the sight was very precious. Camelot was licking Hero's nose because he was sleeping next to him- as if he didn't move the entire time they were there. I sighed and scratched my head, finding it hard to give Hero away now.

Walking back to the kitchen to fix myself some dinner, I decided to just reheat lunchtime's leftovers. As I bend to take the container from my fridge, I felt the same lurking feeling earlier by the bushes. Someone was watching me, and someone was out there. Chills crawl through my bones; my body suddenly suffering from goose bumps. I hugged myself and walked to look out my window. My flat was on the third floor with no trees covering my view of the empty bushy backyard.

However, before I could close the window, I saw this strange dog staring at me from the street passed the low fence of the backyard. It has dark fur and eyes that reflect the lights of the night posts. In unexplained discomfort, I grabbed the drapes after closing the window and closed it to stop seeing the dog. I proceeded to making dinner, only to see the two cats walk in the kitchen.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

it was yet another day, and I decided to take Camelot and Hero out for a walk again. We were headed to the pet store to see if Hero's prescription ointment had already arrived. Hero could be limping a bit, but he seemed to be happily walking next to Camelot with my cat brushing his fur against the fat cat. It was so strange that Camelot seemed to be so affectionate to Hero all of a sudden.

We reached the commercial district, and the place never changed a bit even from all the other vacations that I had been there. Always the busy people and the busy streets. Also, I walked by the bulletin board to look at the missing cat posts- there could be something that Dr. Hedervary could have missed. However, there was nothing that could match Hero.

I continued walking some more, and somehow, I spotted a guy standing at a distance. He was holding some pile of papers, wearing clothes that don't seem to be from around here, and sporting a bulky backpack. His eyes were gleaming underneath his glasses, and his mouth was left agape. He then ran towards my direction, "ARTHUR!"

"H-Huh? Who-?" I was interrupted and was forced to struggle as he gave me a bear hug, "What the bloody fuck are you doing!? Let me go, you bloody bastard!" He let me go after a few spins, making me dizzy for quite a while. He then stood proudly before me, "I totally found you, dude! I'm totes amazing!"

He then dropped it and chuckled like an excited child, "Anyway, my name is Alfred Jones, and I- I need my cat back!" Alfred, or what he introduced to be, grabbed my hands and grinned, "You have my Hero, right?"

So that was this was all about. Later, I found myself sitting at an outside table in a nearby cafe after dropping by the pet store. Apparently, Alfred here was from the next city. An old lady by the road told him that his cat ran off to get to this city, and he was led to Dr. Hedervary because she was seen feeding Hero once. And she told him to find me if he wanted to see Hero again.

"Hahah, my cat is a total black hole; you didn't force him to starve, did you?" He chuckled as he started playing with the cat. Camelot was quietly on my lap, curled up and trying to get a good sleep. Hero seemed to be happy, too, playing with his real master. After giving quick glances at the cats, I managed to answer his question, "Don't worry about it. Your cat just managed to eat up what Camelot eats in three days and depleted a good amount of my stock. It's nothing big, really."

"Aw, man. Alright, I'll buy you what my cat ate. And yeah, by any chance, do you have a car? Hero munches on car keys; I hope he didn't eat up yours. He gets sent to the clinic regularly for eating my mom's car keys every time. And there is this one time that he ate a patty from the frying pan." Alfred started to narrate stories to keep a conversation going. Though it was a bit horrendous, I enjoyed listening to his cat's misadventures. And somehow, it didn't show for the day that he was with me.

"Anyway, let's hit the grocer to get cat food. After that, you should head home. Bus rides to get back to your place are hard to catch lately." I stirred my tea, and he smiled at me, "Nah, I'm actually ready to stay over for a while. Bus rides won't be available until the next Monday. Staying here for another two days is fine, I think." He gave a bitter grin before raising Hero up with both hands and then squealing, "Everything's good now since Hero's back!"

"I guess accepting you in my place wouldn't hurt. Besides, Hero and Camelot started to become inseparable. We should give them more time together before you go away with Hero."

"Yeah. We should totes do that."

And that's how I wholeheartedly accepted a stranger in my flat. Though I did not do it because of him, I just felt like I could be treating him a tad special- more than I would even treat a relative. And for the first time in a long while, I had someone else cook lunch and dinner for me. Not that he volunteered, but he actually witnessed my kitchen accidents and said that he would just do the cooking.

The flat never went quiet as well. He was telling a lot of things, normal and strange experiences of his. I don't know how I got him to tell me about most of his life, but I did enjoy hearing another voice booming in my flat. Though I only stayed here during long breaks, it had always been the most silent.

He was about to talk more when we heard a crashing sound nearby. We flung our heads to the sink, only to see some plates were broken on the floor- since Camelot and Hero were standing on the sink and trying to fit themselves in the window sill.

I frowned and got up, walking to the closet to get the broom and dust pan, "I can't believe you two. Get down from there! Camelot! Hero!" I grabbed the things I need before watching Alfred pick Hero up from there. However, he stopped and carried the big cat as if watching what they were staring at from the window. I put down the cleaning tools and joined them, only to see the same dog last night. However, this time, he was inside the backyard!

"That dog- looked very familiar." Alfred whispered, and then I answered, "It was there yesterday, too. But it was outside the fence. What is it doing in there?" He then turned to me, "One way to find out. Arthur, let's go!"

And with that, he brought Hero down, and he walked out of the flat. I followed him with an air of suspicion directed at the dog in question. We then reached the backyard, the dog gone. He frowned as well and looked around, "Where did it go? Hey, Arthur. Do you know whose dog that is? It's very creepy."

"I have no idea. Let's just go back." I beckoned him to go back upstairs. Alfred just stared at the blackened horizon, trying to still look for the black dog that had invaded the flat house. Seeing it as 'you go on ahead,' I just shrugged and went upstairs. However, as I ascended the stairs, I saw the two cats from the distance.

They were looking at each other, and the funny-faced cat seemed to be acting serious. Camelot then looked away and walked off. Hero also followed him- to the sill of the hallway. They both hopped to see and look around. Soon, Camelot sat down, and Hero walked nearer before sitting down in front of him. He gave him an Eskimo kiss-

And it felt like a sensation of comfort from an upcoming storm reined the hall.

**...**

**End of Part 1**

**...**

Thanks for reading! Please review! My anon review is on!


	2. Dogs of Darkness

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia or any character that has copyright. All I own are the plot and the dialogues. Some references are used, but they are not any stories published in .

**Warnings**: I will keep this one Rated T so maybe just strong language.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

I woke up to see a foreign cat in my flat- a male cat that my cat could have invited inside. Soon, I found this old house where Hero could have come from. I tried to return him, but mysteries seemed to shroud that place.

After getting blown away by a strong gust, I rushed Camelot and Hero to the clinic. There, I learned that Hero had been in the city for days, and it seemed to me that he was looking for Camelot all along- thus, the affection.

On my way to get Hero's meds, I ran into this man named Alfred Jones who turned out to be Hero's owner. It was supposed to be a short stay for our inseparable cats, but his seemed familiarity with the black dog changed that.

Another morning will come to explore the house, more mysteries shrouded our way.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

Heavy. I felt something very heavy was above me, pinning me down against my bed. I could also feel some fur of my leg- short and smooth, this must be Camelot. But since when did Camelot sleep on my bed? And when did he weigh so heavy?

I groaned in struggle to get the heavy matter above me, making my moveable arm grope what was on top of my stomach. Surprisingly, it was something furry as well- and it seemed like Hero was sleeping on me, too. I could only smile at my helpless situation under a very heavy cat. But then, I felt someone breathing beside me.

That was when I shot my eyes wide, and turned to my left- only to see Alfred cuddling me! He was so near and- and- "Bloody shits!" I threw myself up, trampling Hero and Camelot off the bed and Alfred off of me. The three other living creatures got shocked by my rage, Hero left scampering under the bed.

"W-Whoa, that's too much hormones in the morning, Arthur." Alfred murmured as he tried to wake himself up properly. He then yawned and sat up to stretch. He then grinned at me, "Anyway, good morning!"

"Don't you 'good morning' me, Alfred Jones." I grabbed his collar and glared at him at a close distance, "What the fuck are you doing in my bed? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping on the-" He interrupted me with a whining, "But the lilo hurts my back! Besides, you have plenty of room in your bed."

"I don't do bed-sharing!" I hissed at him, planning to chew him out for the next seconds. However, we felt the bed moved as if something was causing the tremor from underneath. My glare turned to a soulful look, as I wordlessly asked him to check it with me. We both moved to look underneath- only to find Camelot and Hero wrestling under the bed. Camelot seemed pissed, and Hero crying with some scratches on his face.

Alfred then chuckled as we sat back up on the bed, "Looks like your cat can take your anger out on my cat."

"I don't even remember when and where I got Camelot."

**...**

**Across the Street**

**Rei Haruno -Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 2: Dog of Darkness**

**...**

"Whoa, so this is the place." Alfred whistled as we decided to come back to the house where his Hero earned the gush on his foreleg, and where my Camelot got discoloured. (Luckily, we managed to wash it off earlier before coming here.) The cats were staring at it differently, Camelot having his ears fold again.

"You said you climbed this gate, got through the other side, got to the backdoor, and that was where the wind blew you away." Alfred spoke with a serious tone as he glared at the gate, holding a bar and shook it to test durability. I could only grunt in response, crouching to pet Camelot. Then I heard the gate creaking.

I shot to a standing position and looked around, "You git! You can't just climb up a gate! What if someone saw you!?" However, it was quite fascinating that he did it without difficulties, "Aw, c'mon, man, no one cares about an old abandoned house! C'mon!" He opened the latch as well- when I thought it's impossible to open that because of the rusting.

We entered- no, trespassed the property again, and headed through the backdoor. I carried Camelot and Hero before walking through the rotten leaves, Alfred commenting on the smell, "What's with this smell? This is so gross! It smells like some kind of dead ani-!" I thought he gagged by then, but the truth was that he felt like he stepped on something else.

Using a foot to scrape the leaves off, he started to dig what he stepped on. I went near him, "What are you doing?" He glanced at me without a word and continued, soon finding a dead animal underneath the leaves. It looked like a cat or just a small dog; either way, it was very uncomfortable to see. And to think that I didn't notice by the smell.

"This looks like it's been rotting for just more than a day." He spoke and finally covered it with the leaves again, "Looks like someone buried a dead pet in here. Meaning we may have company~ and some police might be on their way." I frowned at him, "Then why don't we just hurry up so we could check what we came here for before we get arrested for trespassing, git."

He then smiled at me before walking ahead to get to the backyard where the backdoor could be seen. Soon, we reached the place, seeing that the backdoor was still wide open. But we knew someone could be in there because of the dead animal underneath the leaves. We nodded at each other first before walking inside the house.

Alfred groped the wall to find the light switch, only to find it broken. He then pulled out a portable flashlight from his pocket to look around the dusty and dirty house. The cats began to struggle, and so I let them loose, Hero becoming alert- however, his funny-looking face made him harder to be taken seriously. Camelot was shivering in fright, but his ears were moving around to sense any movements. His head then jerked to a direction, making me look at it and see Alfred heading to that place. I called him with a furious whisper, "Hey! Alfred!"

I looked down at Camelot again, finding him gone wherever he was earlier. I flung to another direction, his whitish fur somehow shining under the darkness. He was standing next to Hero who was walking slowly towards a direction. Not knowing who to lock my gaze on, I look at the two sides alternatively, soon being relieved as Alfred walked back towards me, "Nothing's in the kitchen- where are they going?"

"I have no idea. But they're creeping so it could be where danger is." I answered as we walked to where the cats were. Alfred lighted the way, Hero advancing which was followed by Camelot. My cat then started biting the other cat's tail as if preventing him to just suddenly run off. Hero glanced at the other cat, trying to get his tail back. However, he gave up and walked slower.

Alfred reached out to tap my shoulder, and he gestured that he'll go ahead. I could stop him, but he went right away- though he just walked ahead of the cats. He then lowered his light, whispering, "There's something moving up ahead." He then glanced at me again before he walked faster. He then went up the stairs, Hero and Camelot quickly catching up with him. Barely reaching the top, we heard a brief scratch- something just jumped at Alfred!

But before it could hit Alfred, Hero suddenly jumped to interfere, resulting into a fierce cat fight between the two. It was a light-colored cat with a weird-looking scarf, and it's fighting Hero. I grabbed Camelot which tried to struggle so bad, crying to be let go. The two cats wrestled violently, both sending fierce scratches towards each other. But something really terrible happened. It was from a heavy scratch from Hero- that caused the other cat's face to be skinned badly.

"GILBERT!" A familiar voice broke sudden silence, and a piece of wood sent Hero flying. Alfred dropped the light and went to catch his cat from the blow. Camelot scratched me badly so he could jump off and get to Hero, leaving my arm bleeding. I grabbed the cut to put pressure on it, eyes locked at the image shown by the flash light.

"D-Dr. Hedervary?" I murmured a question as I saw someone resembling Dr. Hedervary snuggling the cat, her hand pressed against the cat's face. She looked at me, and I stared at her tear-stained face, "A-Arthur?" Her voice was a mess, both breaking and running out of sound because of prolonged crying. It seemed that she wasn't crying just because the cat's face was skinned. It was more than that.

Soon, I found Camelot rushing towards her, only to stop a foot away to hiss loudly at the white cat. The white cat extended a hand to scratch Camelot, but Dr. Hedervary took its paw and hushed the white cat, "Gilbert, stop. You'll just get hurt more. Please." The white cat stopped reacting to Camelot, and then the woman sobbed louder. She then got up and walked to a place unlit by the flashlight- until Alfred decided to pick it up to aide our eyes.

She was working inside a small cabinet, and it took her some seconds to close it. She then continued crying until a sudden pang hit all of us. Dr. Hedervary then wiped her tears and looked at us, "This is a dangerous place; you shouldn't be here." Alfred tried to fish for a hanky before walking towards her, "The same goes for you, miss."

"Not really. I've been cursed already. Nothing worse could happen." She wheezed and thanked him for the hanky. Soon, I felt the limping Hero raced to where Camelot was, both stared at the woman intently. She then looked at me more, "Arthur, you're bleeding. Come here, let me patch you up." Alfred pulled on his scarf and handed it to her, the vet responding with a smile.

I walked to them, and he lighted my arm as she worked on it. I mumbled as I threw a sharp glare at Camelot, "It was my cat's doing. I'm sorry about- Gilbert, was it?" She then stopped for a moment before continuing, her hands kept on shaking while dressing the wound to stop it from bleeding, "It always happens."

"Always happens?" Alfred asked the trembling girl- moments before she finished my dressing and sat down on the floor. We then crouched down to check up on her, seeing her break down again. This time, she was only sobbing louder and louder. Alfred manned the flash light so I had no choice but to try and comfort her with an embrace, "It's alright. It'll be fine."

"I don't think so. They'll be back next year- and they will just die again. They keep on dying- and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Gilbert, Ludwig, Roderich- they keep on dying." I could only look at Alfred in confusion, his soulful look returning the same to me. Soon, he began asking questions, "You said you were cursed already. What does that mean? What curse? Like curse-curse?"

By then, she cleared her tears and tried to compose herself already, "Oh, that. You should be wary as well. Once you enter this house, you'll get cursed. It doesn't even matter if you survive them or not. The black dogs: they'll come for you." Now, this is more confusing. I then asked, "How exactly did you get cursed, doctor? What is the curse anyway?" She looked at me, and gave a bitter smile.

"Once in a year, my friends that died that night comes back as cats. After a month, their health will decline, like bacteria eats up their flesh. After that, they die. Every month for the last ten years, I see them suffer, watch them die, bury them here where it all started so that they will always- always come back."

_"Aw, c'mon, Eli! Just one night!" Mr. Jerkface pleaded with a smug smile. He was asking me if I would let Roderich go with them for something like a test of courage. He's getting really curious about the abandoned house in front of their apartment in the residential district. He said Roderich did say he will prove that he isn't scared of that house- and now, he's organizing a test of courage. That Jerkface didn't seem to care about his limits._

_"No means no, Gilbert. You'll probably just make fun of him."_

_"Aw, c'mon! Aren't you curious? You know, what it looks like-" He began to whisper in my ear, "Roddie's- helpless- face."_

_I couldn't believe I lost at that. It was a simple thing that he needed to say. I decided for a split-second, and shot up, knocking him off-balance, "Fine! But I'm going, too!" And so we came. And so I made that stupid decision that led to the biggest mistake I made in my entire life._

_That night, we went to this abandoned house. It was dark- and creepy- and suffocating. I was standing there next to Roderich, holding his hand while watching Gilbert pick the big lock in the gates. Ludwig was there, too; he was looking around for anyone, still trying to make his older brother reconsider. But Gilbert was stubborn about it; it sounded like it was his only chance to get inside that place._

_We broke in the front gate and into the front door. As soon as Gilbert opened it, a fierce wind blew us away. We all got trampled by the wind; I'm just lucky that Roderich saved me from a bad fall. Though he complained to Gilbert about the bruises he got from it, he was all about asking if I'm alright._

_"What was that?" Ludwig turned around attention back to the gust. Nothing in the front door could have done that. Gilbert then dusted himself off before announcing, "We're going in to find out then! Besides, what's the point of a test of courage if we don't go inside? Get your ass up, young master, and get inside!"_

_"I wish to see something really scary inside so you can run off in fear and scream like a woman, you fool." Roderich got up and helped me up as well, now talking with a smile, "You might be limping a bit, but I'll hold you."_

_We went in and looked around. There was nothing extraordinary about the house- just that gust that swept us. Feeling very dissatisfied, Gilbert went up the second storey, moving some cabinets that were barricading the hallway. Roderich started complaining to Ludwig, but the Jerkface's brother couldn't just leave his brother alone. Roderich refused to go to the second floor; it took me several minutes to convince him to do so._

_When we were about to go upstairs, we heard rumblings from there. It was then followed by Gilbert and Ludwig's voices and partial screams. I clutched at Roderich's arm in fear- more when we noticed that shadows were already moving on their own. They then began to form into dogs, ready to jump out to eat us anytime._

_"Elizabeta! Roderich! RUN!" We heard Ludwig from the stairs, and watched him hurriedly go down as he got chased by dog-looking shadows creatures. It was bewildering and bone-chilling; I swore my legs were frozen when I saw them all. Roderich just tugged me away and dragged me towards the main door where Ludwig was heading- however, more shadows jumped out of nowhere, isolating him from us._

_I was the only one screaming in hysteria; the men were actually composed- but we all had it. We all had terror in our eyes. I could hear Roderich's voice trying to communicate with Ludwig, but my mind was too fazed to even comprehend what he was saying. I never thought it wasn't the worst that I would ever see._

_Those things had fangs and claws- and then they used them to butcher Ludwig right in front of us. That was Roderich's cue to drag me to where the backdoor could be. He slammed it open and we got out, him slamming the door closed and keeping the dogs inside. He pushed me away repeatedly, making me run to save myself. I couldn't leave him, but it was the only time I saw his face become so serious._

_I ran._

_I ran away and left my boyfriend to save myself. I knew it was a pathetic thing to do in the perception of love, but I did. But as I reached the gate and tried to open it, dogs were already out there by the front door. I was furiously trying to unlatch the rusted bar, but it would take another second. Another second could be too late- and I could accept my fate of dying right there. If only we didn't even go there in the first place._

_The nearest dog in front of me jumped towards the poor prey, but a table lamp magically hit it in the head, making it miss and retreat for a while. I looked up at the second floor's window, only to see a bloodied Gilbert up there._

_"Sorry" was all he said before being dragged away by the dogs. The gate finally opened, and I got outside- the dogs magically keeping themselves inside the property. They wouldn't go out- they wouldn't dare. Soon, they retreated back at a certain howl. I walked near the gates and called for my friends. No one answered back._

_I spent two more hours waiting in front of the gate. No one came. No one else survived._

_Morning came, and I came there equipped with a crowbar. I walked around the path where I escaped through- seeing a pool of blood before the back door. The pool was just there; no drag marks, just there. I knew it was Roderich's, and all I could do was to cry. I then walked to where we last saw Ludwig- the same pool right there. I walked upstairs and explored the place where Gilbert could be. I tried every room, but there was no blood anywhere. Soon, I noticed a moved tarp at one wall. Moving it again revealed a hole with a small room inside._

_There were these scary-ass things- writings and markings that sent chills to my spine. I stepped back, and ran off- soon seeing that I missed a room nearby the stairs. I opened it and saw a pool of blood dripping from the cabinet. I went to open it- soon finding weird writings in it. 'One year', 'three weeks', 'rotting alive' and 'eternal cycle of deaths' were written inside, probably from the blood from inside it._

_That was when I knew it. I knew that we were cursed the moment we walked in the front door._

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

It was a long story that she had to tell. But because of that, I felt scared of that incident where the wind breezed through me, Camelot and Hero. Would that mean that I was cursed as well? That was a question that I was bugging Alfred with, but the only answer I got was 'I'm hungry. Let's grab something to eat while here.'

We left with Dr. Hedervary and walked her back to her home in the commercial district. While we're here, Alfred wanted to eat something for a heavy snack. So we're stuck outside a fast food chain since we couldn't bring our cats inside. He was busy looking out at the streets while waiting, probably tired of listening to my doubts.

My heavy stare could have gotten through since he finally looked at me again, "You're still at it, are you?" I nodded and earned a sigh in response. However, this time, he smiled at me, "Look. You didn't come in after the wind blew you away. And there weren't shadow shits-"

"The black dog last night: it's getting nearer." That was all I answered. He then reached out to me, as if asking for something. Of course, I frowned at his hand and at his face. But his smile was making me do it- reach my hand out as well. And when I did, he held it firmly with both of his, "Listen, Arthur. If something bad is going to happen, I'll protect you, okay?"

"But you're leaving already tomorrow. How are you going to do that?" I stared at him, his smile not wavering, "Well, I can stay. I mean, it's still summer break, and I told my mom that I will be somewhere far." His kind smile then turned bitter in confusion, "Though I'm not really sure why I wanted to risk my life saving a stranger, or even just by staying by a stranger's side."

"What if you die? What will happen to your mother?"

"Then I won't. That's so easy- h-hey!" The serious talk got broken as Camelot suddenly jumped up his lap and then to his chest, sending licks to his face. Alfred started chuckling as my cat never wanted to stop. I then looked at the cat pawing my lap, and took him from the ground, "What's wrong, Hero? Getting jealous?"

Instead of doing anything funny, Hero was just sitting there, staring at me. I then started petting him, earning a purr at every touch. I felt my heart breaking for unknown reasons- just by staring at Hero's eyes of sky.

**...**

**End of Chapter 2**

**...**

Thanks for reading! Pleaser review! My anon review is on!


	3. The Origin of All

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia or any character that has copyright. All I own are the plot and the dialogues. Some references are used, but they are not any stories published in .

**Warnings**: I will keep this one Rated T so maybe just strong language.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

Yet I woke up to another bizarre thing- Camelot, Hero and Alfred were all on my bed with me. But that was small compared to what we discovered for that day.

Dr. Elizabeta Hedervary was one of the unfortunate people who was cursed that night they went in the house. They were attacked and butchered by black dogs. Even though she survived, she carried a curse that ran forever.

Soon, we found ourselves having a serious talk about getting cursed. However, Alfred gave this strange craving to protect me from harm. Even to the point of him exposing himself to such a brutal death.

The mystery of house kept of suffocating me. Even the origins of the cats started bugging me.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

"No matter what happens, stay by my side."

"But it's still going to happen, right? We're just going to die. Both of us."

I started hearing voices from somewhere. Not just strange voices- they were actually very familiar. I opened my eyes and tried to move, finding Alfred attached to me again. I frowned at his still attractive sleeping face, only to concentrate on whose voices I was hearing. The door was magically open, as well as the lights from the dining room. The light was casting two shadows- one was seated, the other walking around.

"You don't have to get really scared. We heard what happened to that doctor. There was this room. I think if we go inside, then maybe we can finally stop this!" One voice spoke, from a composed tone to a very determined one. However, the other one kept their worried tone, "No, love. What if it was something dangerous? We're already cursed with this eternal cycle of death. I don't want to be burdened more."

"But we have to try. I'm so good with living a lot of lifetimes with you, but seeing you die over and over again kills me more than you can ever know." The seated figure stood and held the other to stop them from walking around. The other figure just rested themselves against them, "I don't know, love. Maybe we do have to try. It's been years, and I've seen dozens of me dying."

"Arthur, was that you?" I twitched and turned to my side to see the groggy-looking Alfred trying to talk to me. Not bothering to answer, I shifted my eyes to the door. The light was out already, and the shadows were gone. A hand then held my chin and turned my face towards him, Alfred appearing frowning at me, "Are you dreaming? What do you mean dying? Still at the curse thing?"

"That wasn't me. There were voices- outside the room. But they're gone now." I simply answered; I couldn't believe I could stay under his gaze at this distance for this long already. He let me go and sat up, groping for his glasses on the night stand. He left the bed and walked to the open door, looking out to see in the dark. He then examined the door he locked earlier, "Are you really sure? I didn't see anyone but the cats out there."

He then walked to get on the bed again, me sliding back to lie down under the covers. He then lied down next to me- and why the fuck would he stroke at my hair? He started talking, "Hey, it's not cute if you got cursed by seeing scary stuff happen around. But with the degree of curse vested on that doctor, shouldn't you suffer from something more than just hallucinations?"

Alfred's hand stopped, and he started whispering, "And what about me? There was no wind when I first came inside. Hey, Arthur, what if-" He then growled shortly after sighing, "Argh, I'm now starting to contradict myself!" He then wrapped- fuck, Alfred, what are you doing? He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer, his gaze away from my glare. I would have snapped by then, but his words frightened me more than I ever was.

"What if we're already cursed? And we're just- reliving this moment again?" He then just looked at me, "What if we're just living a very long nightmare?"

**...**

**Across the Street**

**Rei Haruno -Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 3: The Origin of All**

**...**

What Alfred opened up last night never left our minds so we found ourselves before the abandoned house again. I told him what I heard from the shadows, and everything just made us crave to get to where that mysterious room was. We left without the cats and made it a point to not show ourselves to them. It's getting really dangerous, and we didn't want them in here with us.

Unlike yesterday, we came more prepared. We had lights with us, as well as phones and other important stuff like an army knife I didn't know where Alfred got from. We also wore comfortable clothes and running shoes; one could say we're like going for a run along the long road of the residential district.

Unlike before, we didn't have to climb the gate up because we could easily unlock the latch of the rusted gate. Trespassing in the abandoned property again, we headed for the backdoor again. Like how we left it, it was still left open with a crack. He pushed the door open, the creaking sound welcoming us into the old house. We just exchanged looks before stepping in the house.

"It sure stinks badly this time." Alfred whispered as we walked around the dirty kitchen. Unlike the last time, the tools and equipments were all disturbed and trampled by something. Upon noticing, we just stopped from walking and looked around. There was no way something was inside that time. He then reached out his hand to me, and I automatically held onto it like we've always been doing that.

One could say we're both surprised by the strange reflex, Alfred nervously chuckling, "Just to make sure I won't lose you in the dark." I only murmured a 'right' before dismissing the thought. But our fingers were left interlocked, firmly holding each other's hands.

We would walk around some more after some minutes of no sensed movements. The house was a mess: everything was either torn, wrecked or smashed. Broken vases adored the halls, making us extra careful in walking. Alfred then gazed at the broken mirror and looked away, disturbed by the distorted- "Alfred?"

"Yeah?" He whispered in return. I stopped walking as I stared at the broken mirror. "My reflection- it's gone." I murmured as I kept on staring. He then walked nearer the mirror again, inspecting it further, "Yeah, my reflection isn't here either." He then looked around the other things that could reflect us, "It's not on anything. Our reflections are not here."

Footsteps. We suddenly heard footsteps from somewhere. Alfred suddenly embraced me protectively as we had to put our lights off. The moon outside- moon? We came here in broad daylight; why the fuck is the moon present? However, I couldn't protest on that for now. We still need to find out where the footsteps came from. It could be another person or just a thing; either way, we're not taking risks.

Soon, a shadow seemed casted on that wall the mysterious moon lit. The shadow wasn't like a dog that Dr. Hedervary spoke about- it was more of a man walking slowly. The shadow took a step after seconds; the same sound of footstep we heard echoed around. Definitely, what was making the shadow was the one making the footsteps.

That is, we ever get to see what casts the shadow because there was nothing. There was no one walking on the hallway. But there was a footstep and a shadow.

Alfred gave me a soft nudge as a cue to get moving. We slowly backed away from the shadow, my eyes pinned on the broken mirror. A second felt like a minute as we kept on slowly moving away from the shadow. Soon, it stopped before the mirror, and arms suddenly showed in the reflection. The fingers looked stiff and trembling, dirt and grime collected around it.

Soon, there was howling. Howling conquered the second storey of the big abandoned house. That was when the shadows ran amuck. Everything on the dark wall moved and shifted; everything that was supposed to be stable started to fly from one place to another. We just decided to duck down as the curtains began moving, showing us the darkest night I've ever seen- even though it was supposed to be morning outside.

Alfred then grabbed a wrist and pulled me while we were keeping ourselves low. Soon, other material stuff like old vases started flying towards the walls. It was strange but alarming, bewildering but real, and ridiculous but terrifying. I was only following him wherever he went, somehow not knowing if we're going in the right direction or not. If he knew this strange things about this house or not, if he and Hero were from here or not, I didn't know. All I know was that he was holding my hand and taking me away.

"Arthur, can you see that?" He then whispered and pointed at a direction. There was a piece of cloth on the floor. The hallway we reached was rather peaceful yet eerie, and that thing made it less trusting. But there was something about that cloth so we went near and picked it up- only for it to turn out as a knitted scarf that I remembered making long ago. It still had the initials L.B., but it was not finished yet: one end still had the yarn running off from a ball that was lost.

"I remember making something like this. But I finished it and locked it away. It was supposed to be a gift-" Along those lines, something felt wrong. It was supposed to be a gift, but why would I lock it away? And who is this L.B.? I heard Alfred hum in inquiry; however, I couldn't explain well. I just looked at him before noticing lights from afar. He turned to where I was looking, and he dragged me away to hide from a corner.

As the lights came nearer, the wind was changing. It's beginning to smell stagnant and suffocating. I covered my nose and mouth with a hand, Alfred doing the same. Soon, voices accompanied the movements of the lights.

"Ah, here it is! I thought I lost it!" The first voice spoke- sounding the same like one of the voices back in our dining room. But it was less serious and warm; it was like from an insensitive brat but old enough to live on their own. Another voice echoed as one light swung around, "Dude, this place looked so spooky. I wouldn't wonder if someone's body would be rotting in here." It was like the other voice as well, only more insensitive and meaner.

"Ah, shut it." The grumpy voice growled, "You don't know how precious this is! This is- this is for someone I never saw again." The mean voice ridiculed the other, "Hah! What's the point of chasing that shit all around then? If that person left you for good, then you must not be that valuable to her- or him, whatever."

"How dare you even talk about him like that! You have no idea what kind of person he was!"

"But he left you- without a word; am I correct? You don't leave someone behind without a word if they're important, you know."

"He didn't leave me; he just disappeared. Anyway, I already got what I need. We should go out now."

"Hold your horses, lover boy. This place is worth checking out. Look at all the spooky stuff in here-"

"There must be something worth stealing in here; yes, there should be. But stealing is your thing, good sir. I'm not becoming some kind of accomplice or whatever. You can stay to your heart's desire, but I'm leaving."

"Yeah, good luck in finding the way back from where good Cheshire went through to put a fucking scarf in this place. While I check this real shit out. See ya somewhere else, old geezer." The mean voice almost whistled, one light moving away from the other. The unmoving light kept quiet until it moved a bit closer towards the direction of the other light, "Wait, don't leave me alone in here!"

The lights went away towards a direction, both of us peeking from the corner to see where they were going. When I was about to go and follow them, Alfred suddenly asked me, "Ah, do I sound that bad?"

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, those were our voices. Like, really our voices. It so legit I don't know how that happened. We never had that conversation, had we? That was so sick!"

"That was us?" I spoke. He's not making any sense. We never had that conversation. But how? And why do we sound so distant and uncaring? I then looked at Alfred, giving him a cue for us to follow the lights to where they would take us. And while we were walking, we started hearing the same footsteps from before. We picked up our paces and ran faster towards the lights. And while we were on it, we continued listening to their conversation.

"So your housemates just disappeared one day, and you never saw them again. You also tried the school, but they weren't there as well. How old were they; sixteen and eighteen?" The mean voice seemed to ask for clarification that was given by a grunt from the grumpy voice. Then he continued, "Ten years later, there still wasn't anything about them? They were just- gone."

The other voice was silently walking next to whatever the light was. The mean voice then started whistling, only to stop as he groaned, "Ouw! What was that for!?" The grumpy voice answered, "You're irritating me. Anyway, where are we going? What- what is that? You don't know?"

"I never been in this part of this city, good sir~" The mean voice laughed in mockery, the light soon turning right towards the walls. And not just any wall, it was the one with the moved painting. The light went to the light, dropping the painting before being followed by the other light inside.

I then turned to Alfred, him glancing at me for quite a while. He then held my hand before walking me inside the hole that was previously concealed by the moved painting. The hole was filled with darkness; the two lights were the only things we see. Our flashlight already died, but I didn't notice when they did. The other light seemed to look around while one went straight to the altar-looking thing.

"Oh, Alfred Jones, don't you dare touch anything." Did I even hear that right?

"This is so amazing. It's like a big, black crystal shit that will sell millions." The mean voice, which was called Alfred Jones by the other voice, spoke in awe. The grumpy voice's light went to the other, "Whatever you are thinking, don't. I said- what did you do?"

A shrill sound came from somewhere, and soon, a line of light drew from the altar to the ceiling. The light shone brightly, enough to illuminate the whole room- and to show us what we feared the most.

It was us. The lights we were seeing were lights from the flashlight that they were carrying. However, the way they were dressed was something very strange. 'Arthur' was wearing a red shirt with a faded denim jacket and dark trousers. 'Alfred' was wearing white shirt under beige jacket and cargo pants. 'Our' faces were also different in general expressions- like it was us, but never was us.

"Holy shit, doppelgangers?" Alfred whispered as he stared at the 'copies' by the altar. However, we didn't seem to be seen since they were busy staring at the light. 'Alfred' then whistled again, "Sweet mother, what is this?" 'Arthur' then hissed at the other male, "Quit it. We're leaving. And put that back down NOW."

"Dude, this will bring us-" Growling. All of us seemed to hear growling coming from somewhere. The shadows from the room started to morph into dogs like what Dr. Hedervary told us. The copies then backed off and motioned to run away. They ran past the light, and the suffocating wind was gone.

But not the black dogs. They were still everywhere.

Alfred's grip on my hand tightened as they started getting nearer. One dog barked, and it served as our cue to run off. However, two more dogs greeted us at the hallway- only to be toppled by two things with lights. The lights- "Camelot? Hero?" We whispered as we saw that those were the cats with flashlights in their mouths. They seemed to hit those dogs with a very, very fierce light.

Hero then came to us and bit the edge of my trousers as if pulling me. Camelot then ran off with a speed that we could catch up with. The dogs started coming out of the shadows, and we were all forced to run. We did run as fast as we could, Alfred having to hold my hand so I can keep up with them. The halls then started to distort to our surprise. But the cats- they weren't even fazed. Weren't they supposed to be hissing at everything and attempting to claw the dogs?

Shake. A strong tremor occurred which toppled both of us down- the cats stopping to resist the fall. Alfred pulled on me to help me up to run again. After that, more tremors were coming. This didn't happen in Dr. Hedervary's story! We tried to run across the trembling halls, and we tried to do it before the dogs could get to us. When we managed to see the stairs, something bad really happened.

The floor fell.

The floor fell as if the storey collapsed. I couldn't help but to scream as we did, and groan when my back hit the hard ground filled with rubbles. I tried to get up, but my lower body felt numb from the fall. I tried to roll to my side only to see Alfred struggling to get up as well. He then looked at my direction, "Arthur-"

I tried to sit up and get up from there. I managed to get to his side and help him up, both of us trembling in pain. He then chuckled, "Okay. So we have to-" He was interrupted by growling again. We looked around, and the moonlight from the semi-barred windows showed us another crowd of black dogs. The one in the middle was growling furiously and was followed by the others.

"Arthur, you have to go."

"Are you stupid? I'm not leaving you here to die!"

We almost crept backwards as the dogs advanced towards us. Alfred pulled out his knife and tried to slash the dogs that dared to get near, but our weakened bodies were catching up to us. His hand then started to tremble in numbness and fatigue, making an opening for the black dogs. One grabbed his arm with its teeth and another jumped at him. He then yelled as he tried to keep the other dog away from his neck and face, "ARTHUR, RUN! NOW!"

But my legs were frozen. I couldn't move. Terror had fully conquered my body, and there was no way I could move at all. A dog was creeping towards me, his growling being masked by the growling of the other dogs and Alfred's struggle. Tears could only form around my eyes as I watched it jumped towards me, teeth aiming for my shoulder. Time started to slow down. Is this it?

There then came Alfred's voice, "I'm not going to let you die again!"

Hero suddenly jumped towards the much bigger opponent, receiving a blow that was supposed to be mine. As he got hit, a strange blinding light conquered everything. I heard the dogs cry in intense pain, as well as someone calling out for 'Alfred's' name.

As I open my eyes, I saw someone standing in front of me. He seemed to be staring at his hand- probably bewildered by the glow that was enveloping him. He then turned to me- it was Alfred. He then genuinely smiled at me, "Hi, Arthur. I'm so happy you're okay."

**...**

**End of Chapter 3**

**...**

Thanks for reading! Please review! My anon review is on!


	4. And So It Was Over

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hetalia or any character that has copyright. All I own are the plot and the dialogues. Some references are used, but they are not any stories published in .

**Warnings**: I will keep this one Rated T so maybe just strong language.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

There were voices that woke me up that night; and those voices made things more bugling than everything ever was. And our craving to understand this made us wander back to the old, abandoned house one more time.

The inside was bewildering: the house was messed, and there were strange things that we saw. We saw a shadow that was trying to get to us, which led us to seeing these mysterious lights- that turned out to be us.

It was insane, but we did see copies of us wandering around, and it seemed that they were the ones who called forth the black dogs on us. We got chased by them while the house started going- I don't know. I couldn't explain.

More when I saw Alfred standing in front of me. Why was he glowing? Where was he going? Is it over?

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

I stared at him more. He looked so glad and satisfied. He then reached out a hand, asking for mine, "You- take care now, okay?" I was about to say something, but blood then trickled down his mouth. He started to lose balance, and I attempted to catch him- only to see a glowing 'me' catch him, "Alfred!"

As he laid him down in his arms, I saw that the place was different already. The morning sun was peeking through the bars, and the dogs were nowhere to be found. Everything was as peaceful as they were before. A hand then held my shoulder; it was Alfred. He was wounded as well but not as bad as the other 'Alfred's' chest wound. He had this serious look on his face, and he moved his head a bit to make me look back at the glowing couple.

Now that I stare at them more, I could tell that they wore the same clothes as the ones who we found in the altar room. But their faces and expressions towards each other were very different.

"I did it, Artie! I stopped the eternal cycle of death!" 'Alfred' tried to exclaim, but his voice was already weak. He was trying to smile, but the blood dripping from his mouth made it so pitiful to see, "I just- have to die first." 'Arthur's' smile was also very miserable; it was like the most helpless smile I ever saw. He then ran his other hand to stroke at 'Alfred's' face, "I know. You did a very good job, love. Thank you, Alfred."

"Camelot?" I murmured as Camelot's cat collar dangled from the other 'me's' wrist. He hummed and saw what I was looking at, "I figured we would be wearing these on our necks." 'Alfred' laughed a bit again, "I had that on mine." 'Arthur' snarled, "It's because you're a fat cat, you bottomless pit. You eat everything you see." Soon, he just lowered his head to rest his lips on 'Alfred's' forehead, "Please stay with me, and eat everything I cook for you. Just like that night we met."

"Sorry, I can't do that now. The food wasn't- at least, for the first time-" He smiled at the other me, before closing his eyes and relaxing, "I don't have to watch you die, Arthur. And that is all that matters to me now."

'Arthur' seemed to reach for something at his side as he straightened and kept on stroking at 'Alfred's' hair, "One full year. We had to watch ourselves die over and over again, every four days. It always starts with the human me seeing a big fat cat. But his meeting with the human Alfred was always different, but nothing came close to the burglary he actually did." 'Arthur' chuckled, but his eyes started to be filled with tears.

He then looked at us, "Live a pretty good life now, please. At least, I'm a bit guaranteed that we could still have a bit of a happy ending. You can never be us, but I do hope our memories can reach you. They were never the best, but they were still the most precious memories I've ever had. And now, at least, I knew what happened to Ludwig and Gilbert. Please help Elizabeta break her curse. It could be too much, but please help them break free. As well as all the spirits that were trapped in here, waiting for their cycles of death to come."

"What will happen to you?" Alfred kneeled down to ask 'Arthur', and then all he said was, "Well, I have to end the last re-run of events. So we could be really at peace. But I still hope to see him where I will go." From his left, he pulled out the army knife Alfred could have dropped earlier. He then stabbed his chest with it, subsequently bleeding on 'Alfred's' face. He then closed his eyes- the glowing images fading into nothingness.

Alfred only looked at me, and we just got up from where we were. Though limping, we started walking to get out of the old house. Soon, we reached the gate, and we just looked back at the house. To our surprise, there were a lot of faded images of people lurking from the windows. Alfred only held my hand and insisted for us to continue walking, away from the infamous house.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**Rei Haruno -Sakura no Imooto**

**Chapter 4: And So It Was Over**

**...**

"I still don't have the words to describe what happened. I mean, I still don't get it." Alfred hummed as he was sitting on the sofa, browsing the afternoon shows. We spent the rest of the day talking with Dr. Hedervary earlier, and somehow, she was still reluctant to believe it. But then again, I had to leave it at that. In three days, I will be leaving for another city again, and I doubt I will ever come back here.

I only glanced at the telly before glancing at Alfred who had his eyes pinned on the telly. After that, I continued attending to what I was knitting while sitting on the sofa next to him, "Let's just think of that as a childhood mishap." I then felt him shift, and then a hand held the edge of the scarf I was knitting, "You like to knit, don't you?" I used a hand to take it from his hand, "I knit only for special people."

"Hahah, that L.B. guy must be very special to you." Alfred chuckled, and I could just look at it as I made finishing touches on the scarf, "I think so. But I actually forgot all about that person because of the curse. All I could remember was whatever was given to us. Besides, it sounded like he was never coming back anyway."

"Yeah, I guess it's better that way. I mean, you already lost your memories- or some of them." He started to babble, but I could only smile at him, "Besides, I can always make new memories." I then dropped the smile and handed him the scarf, "H-Here. It's for you. It's not like I really care, but the weather will only get colder soon."

"Dude, you just said you only knit for special people." He laughed and accepted it, wearing it around his neck that very instant, "Knitted scarves are the best." He then checked out the edges, seeing 'Alfred' written on it, "Gee, thanks, Arthur. I wish I could give you something in return."

"You don't have to. We pretty much wouldn't see each other again anyway. After the winter break, I would leave for a faraway city, pretty much not having the slightest willingness to come back. I did tell Dr. Hedervary about the spirits anyway. And our lives- they'll pretty much just move on."

He was then silenced. He then took the remote to make the telly sleep. Alfred then faced me, "Arthur, listen. I don't know what we are actually like. Even these lives we live are just a recreation of the curse. But then again, I don't really want to just live this kind of life alone- my memories aren't all true. If I go back now, then everything I will live out would just turn out to be a lie."

I could only stare at him. He then took my hands, "Please! Let me see you again in the next winter break! Or summer break! Arthur- please." My eyes averted their gaze at his eyes to the dead screen of the telly. I then whispered, "L-Little World University. I'm taking my Master's degree there. You could just pay me a visit if you really want to see me; I also figured you wouldn't be contented with just my number and email."

Silence. But then, I felt arms wrapped around my shoulders and squeezed me tightly. I then looked back on him as he spoke, "I'll do my best then!" I frowned at him, only to see his very determined face when he pulled back, "I'm taking an exam to get into Little World, too, soon. I'll do my best to get accepted!"

"Get accepted? Exam?"

"Ah, yeah, I'm turning 19 on the fourth of July." This is actually the worst thing I heard. However, he just grinned at me, "Don't worry, Arthur! People say people grow more when they hang out with people older than them! I don't mind our age difference! Besides-" He then winked at me, "It's just a number, baby."

Jab. He shot his arms to his abdomen as I punched him right there. Ironically, I was restraining a giggle. He recovered and just grinned at me again, "I guess I'll just see you next school year." I only gave him a nod before he- why you. He did take my head on his hands, sending a brief kiss on my lips. He then just laughed out and got up, "Argh! I can't wait to go home!"

I followed him with my eyes until he disappeared behind the door to the bedroom. I then leaned against the sofa and closed my eyes. I felt really alone now that Camelot wasn't around. I felt like I was with him all my life. I should have doubted that because cats don't live for twenty-two years. Reaching for the remote, I thought of a show to watch. But then again, I just recalled my outstretched hand and wasted time by staring at the ceiling.

**...**

**Across the Street**

**...**

My watch registered three-thirty, and we're here at the bus station, waiting for Alfred's bus. He was headed back to his home, and we would just see each other next school year. We're not even sure if we would be in the same school- but I wanted to expect to see him again at least.

Our hands were laced, and these feelings were only carried over by the curse. The 'original' us wouldn't even be in good terms since he said something about a burglary. It was just the experience and time that mended them together. Along with the end of the curse was separation; and somehow, it was the most painful thing to feel. My mysterious feelings for Alfred were only a by-product, yet nothing else felt so real.

"Don't worry, Arthur. I will do everything to see you again." He spoke, eyes still looking out there in the horizon. I was looking at him, and even though he would feel it, he didn't look back at me.

Before we knew it, it started to snow. We both looked up and caught flakes on our noses. Alfred then smiled, "Yeah, it's been a long while since it last snowed in this part of the country. Hahah, I hope this wouldn't mess up the roads." However, I stayed silent. Soon, he looked at me before smiling, "Come on, say something."

"I- I will wait for you."

"-You better should." He just smiled at me bigger before raising our entwined hands and kissing mine. His warm breath started to heat my cold hand, my lips wanting to replace it. The snow was making everything else colder, but I was feeling perfectly warm.

An engine roared at a distance, and the bus had arrived. Alfred left me under the shed with a smile as he motioned to walk up the stairs. That was the only time I felt the strongest urge to ask, and so I called him, "Alfred?" He then turned to me midway climbing.

"Promise me you'll never forget me."

"You and your wonderful scones. See ya next school year."

A curve came to my lips as he winked and proceeded inside the bus to get a seat near the window facing me. As he sat, he gave me a goodbye salute. The bus started moving, and I could feel my legs wanting to run and chase him. But I stayed anyway.

We never did say 'goodbye'- nor even say 'hello' in the first place. It felt like we weren't in the end- or beginning of something. We were both in the middle of a very long story- a story that we will soon share again.

The sleet was getting thicker, and the surroundings were getting colder. I released a deep breath, making a big smoke from the hot air from my mouth. I pulled my jacket nearer, and I turned on my heel to walk back to my place, feeling both contented and sad. However, there was something that did not please me.

A very strong wind suddenly pushed me back. I managed to stay standing through it, my arms blocking my face from the wind and snow. When it passed, I brought my arms down to see what just happened. It was the same gust that made us fly off from the backdoor. Why was it here?

I attempted to look around, but the first thing I saw already froze me. The black dog in the yard- it was standing in front of me.

After hearing the story, I was so convinced that it was part of the curse. But I just realized now that it wasn't actually like the black dogs that jump out of shadows. I stared at it in fear, my body frozen by cold and fright. However, it was just standing there.

"The cycle-" "The curse-" "The cycle-" "The curse-" "The cycle- the cycle-" "The curse- the curse-"

Two sets of words kept on echoing in my head as the dog stared at me. The voices of the words were getting louder and louder, making me shot my hands to cover my ears and groan loudly.

"-is broken!" "-remained!" "-is broken!" "-remained!"

Two ore words started to furiously ring and pound in my head. My groaning traversed into screaming as I fell to my knees in pain and misery. I couldn't even hear my own thoughts over those voices. Even my own voice rendered softer than them. It was painful; it was the worst. Alfred. Alfred. ALFRED!

That was when I felt I broke down and fell to the ground that was quickly thickening. The soft snow cushioned my fall, but it numbed my body. I couldn't even move a bit of my fingers.

The loud voices were now only incomprehensible whispers. Instead of the four sets of words, they seemed to say something longer- and something that repeated more and more the longer I stayed down here.

I saw the dog come near and sniff my face, rubbing its nose all over my face. Its mouth smelled of blood and other rather addictive yet odorous smell. It stopped after a while, and then it dropped something in the deep snow. Without anything else, it left. It left me alone.

The snow continued to fall, and no one might even find me out here. It was barely four in the morning; the sun wasn't up yet. I couldn't even close my eyes, the blinking only happened when flakes get into my eyes. I felt like dying. It was so cold. So lonely, so alone.

I could hear a voice other than the whispers in my head. I could feel someone running towards me, but I couldn't move my eyes to see. I might not be able to decipher what I see. But there were arms; there were warm arms that took me in. I felt like I was shoved up from the snow and into their arms.

Dug-dug. Dug-dug. Their heartbeat was racing, and their hands on my shoulder were trembling. Light started to dissipate as I felt like I was closing my eyes, my breathing relaxing as well. The warmth was getting greater, but I was still numb. Warm and cold water started to drip onto my face, probably tears that melted the flakes.

"-thur! Arthur!"

I was starting to hear them over the whispers that were starting to intensify yet again. It was a male's voice: a very familiar and unique-sounding voice. I couldn't see who it was; I could only listen to him calling me- screaming at me louder and louder.

But everything was starting to dissipate. The screaming, the whispers, the numbness, the pain, the warmth, the cold: everything that I had. Even my consciousness was drifting away from me. For the first time, it felt like void.

Yet, I could still think. And somehow, words started to surface again.

"The cycle- the cycle- the cycle was broken, but the curse remained."

**...**

**End of Across the Street**

**...**

Thank you for reading until the end! Please review! My anon review is on!


End file.
